Illuminated-license-tag holder.



T. SOHW AB. ILLUMINATED L10 ENSB TAG HOLDER.

APPLICATION ILED FEB.2G.191 4.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914 z H. --.n

fl j? gli -oijtinen of the United States, residing" et ,Highland Perk, 1n the county of Wayne, Stute of Michigan, here invented certain the ,vehicle to protect end preserve seid .tion within the housing or holder in con- LLUMNATEE-LXCNSE-TAG HOLBEE.

application niet. jeoruery 2G, 1814i. Sleral No. 821,133.

To @il @from may concern Be it known that l, Trinononn SCHWAB, a

new and useful improvements in lllmnineterlLieense-Teg Holders; and lolo dev claire the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such es will enable others skilled in the art to which it apperteins to maire end use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drewings, end to the characters of reference niu'ked thereon,' which form e port of this ep'eciicetion. This invention relates to en illuiniiiatecl license holder for motor vehicles, end con- Siete in the construction and errang-rement of ports es hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out particularly in the olonne. lhe object of the invention is to provide en illuminated license holder of compera.- tirely simple und inexpensive construction, which the arrangement is such es to eorcl e. -reer sional light for the vehicle, and et the l seine time provide means for containing und office-tively illuminating the license number iicense teg against being soiled by 'mud end clust, so Vthzit the number thereon will be clearly visible et all times. .provision is also inode igor enabling the license vplete to be readily inserted and removably held in posi-7 iunction with means forloching the closure to y'the entrance of seid housing so es to retein the parts securely against lie-bility to rettle. The above object is attained by the employment of the construction 'und errengernent of parts illustrated in the eccompenying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective View o the holder showing the license tag in position therein as it would eppeer in operation. l'1 ig. 2 is a lcentral longitudinal section through the beck of the housing and license tag therein taken on dotted line 2--2 of Fig. i5, showing in elevation the spring actuated Ineens for locking and releasing the license teg, and for lookin and releesing the closure or door of the lieder. Fig. 3 is e central trensverse section through the hodyof the housing end license telg therein. vFig'. @i is e fragmentary pien view of theepring actu ated locking; Ineens eonteinefixiyithine flepressionL in the of the c I tpecicution of Letters Eetent.

renier-eo nor-r. e, rele,

Referring to the drawings bythe charcoters of reference marked thereon, l desig-y nates the body or housing of the holder which oblong in general shape, and which comprises a rounded top portion with inchned bach .and front portions diverging therefrom and joining each other et their lower edges, being' provided else with a closed end and en open end having e closure thereforin the forni of e door or closing the' entrance to the interior of the housingR The body of the housing is preferably formed from e single piece of metal bent to forni the rounded .or ooncavo convex top portion 2, 'and extending; downwardly and' forwardly therefrom to form the inclined h'aclr portion 3. The .front of the housing consists oi: a pene of glass 4f set in :L rectangular frame 5 which joins et its upper-edge the forward edge or' the rounded top portion 2 and is joined at its lower edge to the llower edge of the inclined baolr portion 3, and stands at an opposite incline to the incline of seid back. Seid rectangular freine is joined to the housing by overlapping its outer edges upon the enge edges of seid. top end hack portion, es shown in Fig. 2, or by otherwise suitably securing the parte et their points of juncture.

@ne end of the housing is closed by an I end plete 6 having etriengnler pane of glass 7 'set in its lower portion, and in its upper rounded portion e semi-circuler colored signel pene of gloss 8 is set and suitably secured. The opposite upper end portion of seid housi g is closed by e semi-circuler plete '9 Willich `is secured to the end of the rounded portion 2. Hinged at one edge to the lower 'erige'.of seid end plete, as at 10, is a. triangular frame'll having e pene of gloss 12 set' therein to form e door for closin the trienguler entrance to seid housing. rojecting centrally from the front side of the .rounded top 2 of the housing is u raised portion in the form of e. dormer i3 communicet` ing with the interior of said housing, and in the front of which a semi-circular colored signel ipa-ne of glass '14 is set. Extending vertically from seid top portion, adjoining saiddormer and communicating with the interior of said housing, is e Ventilating,

capped. dome l5.

Formed centrally in the. housin by depressing the metal longitudinally tereof is e ooncevity i6, the reo. endjo, which is .closed by an extension of the beck Well of the end wall 6 and the forward end of-said concavity is closed by a cap 17 having a slotted aperture 18 termed centrally in the upper edge thereof. Extending transversely across said concavity, midway its length, is a partition 19 having a slotted aperture 2O formed centrally therein. Lying within said concavity at the rear end thereof is an angle plate 21, the vertical portion 22 of which extends in the form ot a partition across said concavity, and the horizontal portion :23 of said plate abridges said concavity .on the plane of the face of the back plate 3 and. is provided centrally therein with an elongated aperture 24, while an aperture 25 is alsoforn1ed through said plate at the angle of'junctu're with the vertical portion Q2.

Lying within the concavity i6 and extending through the aperture 25 of the plate :2l is a wire or rod Q6, the rear end of which extends upwardly through the aperture 24 of the plate 2l and terminates in the torni of a hook 27 extending above the plane 'of the hack wall 3. The forward end of said rod extends downwardly at a right angle to the-body portion and terminates inthe forni of an eye 2S through which a wire or rod 29, having a head 30 on the end thereof. freely passes, and extending through the aperture Q0 of lthe partition i9 said rod passes outwardly through the aperture 18 of the cap 17 of said eoncavity and terminates in an upturned loop portion 31 forming a shoulder for engagement vwith a notch 32 in the frame l1 of the door of the housing. interposed between and abutting at its ends the inner face of the cap i7 and a washer 323 secured to the'rod 39. is a compression coil spring 34, A which surrounds said rod and exerts an endwise tension thereon to hold itsI looped ends 3l in contact with the frame of the door` whereby a spring tensioned latch is provided for holding said door closed against the end of the housing.

inserted within the coiled spring 33 and .lying parallel with the rod 29 therein, is a rod the inner end of which passes upward between the coils of the spring at a point nearer the inner end thereof andterminates in a laterally folded portion 3G which extends across and engages at its ends the 1opposite sigle walls of the concavity 16 to retain said rod against a rotary movement and permit it to move endwise with the action of 'the springt The outer end of said rod is turned upwardly and terminates in a hook 37 extending above the plane of the back of the housing ,at a point therein in line with the aperture 1S of the cap 17 oi said concavity. vas clearly shown in Figs. 2 ande. Lying upon the face of the inclined back 3 of the housing. and engaged at its inner end bythe hook E27 of the rod 26 and at its outer end by the hoolr 37 of 1,1 rasee the rod 35, is a plate or tag 3B, upon the face of which the license number 1s' printed. Engaging said tag at its'edges upon oppo .site sides are overlapping metal clips 39 which are secured to the back wall 3 o't the f housin and between which and the overlapping edges of said clips said tag is held against lateral movement but ispermitted to slide freely therein. The tension of the coil spring exerted upon the rod 35, which vthe end wall 6 of the housing, whereby said tag issecurely held 1n position under a spring tension which overcomes the liability to rattle through the jar and vibration 'imparted thereto by the vehicle to which the housing is attached (see Figs. l and Q1).

As a means for illuminating the interior lof the housing a socket 40 wired for connection with a source of electricity is secured centrally through thc back curved wall 2 of the housing for the reception of an electric light bulb 4l. which depends therefrom intothe circular concavity of said housing above said license tag. and sur rounding the inner face of the concavit)V the top portion 2 is a curved refiector having an aperture formed therethrough which communicates with the dormer i3 and the ventilator 15 on said housing. whereby the rays of light from said bulb will be projected through the colored signal glass 8 in the end of the housingnnd through the colored signal glass 14 in sain dormer, and ventilation for the heat of the light will be afforded through the-ventilator dome. Light will also he strongly reflected by the curved body of said reflector directly upon the face of the license tag to brightly illuminate it and enable the numbers thereon to be clearly visible at night through the transparent front and ends oi the` housing, as clearly shown in Figs. l and To provide for supporting the housing, a socket 44- is secured to the backwall thereof for the reception of a standard i5 attached to the vehicle, and to which said socket isv secured by means of'a set screw fili.

The device being thus constructed. the operation of inserting and removing the license tag will be as follows: The upturned loop portion 31. of the spring tensioned rod 29 is swung downwardly out of engagement with the notch 32 in the traine of the door 11, when said door frame may he swung upwardly upon its hinge, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Said Vrod is then pulled outwardly b v means of the loop 3l against the tension of the spring 34, and as said spring contracts the hooked end 3T of the rod 35 will be carried outwardly and away from the'hook 27 until the head 30 of n: ou

musees Y l lie rofl 529 engages the eye 28 of the rod 26, I

when thehooli 2T on said rod will be drawn outwardly anrl longituelinally of the aperture Qi of the angle plate 21, as indicated by dotteil lines in Fig. 2, "The license tag or plate 3S ma)r then he inserted between the side loops 39 of the hack of the housing until the inner encl of said tag is engaged L5' the hook 37, when by releasing the outward tension up'on the looped rocl 29 said rofl will "he drawn inwardly by the expan- `sion of "che spring 3i, which carrying with it the rofl will cause its hooked enl 37 to engage the outer end oi' thelioense tag andl draw said tag' into position Wihin ythe liousing as the looped end of the rod 29 is drawn into Contact with the end cap l?. The door may ne Closed and the loop 31 swung into posit-ion in engagernen* with the notch 32 therein. whereby said door and license tag will he firmly held in position under the eX- 'paniling tension of said spring,I as clearly shown in Fig. l.

Having thus full)v set forth my invention,

what l claim as nemend desire lo secure by l/eters Patent, is:

ends of sei housing being closed, a closure for the other end of sani housing, 'fthe closed end and the closure each having transparencies thereinj a license tag mounted upon said inclinedV haci: in said housing within ille range of vision lehrou h the. transparent frontend housing, a reector in seid housing, and. a lamp for illuinineingseicl housing disposed between seid releetor and said license tag.

2. In a device comprising a license tag in a holder therefor, the combination of a housing having a wall VWish a concavity therein, a removable plate mounted on seid Wall within said housing, a slidahle rod in said concaviiy having a hook engaging one end of said removable plate, a spring ten sioned rod in said concaviy having e hook engaging the other end of said removable plate, a spring tensione-:fl actuating rod in sii-iii concavity lia-ving engagement with said spring tensioned rod and said slidable rod for releasing the hook. of said spring tensinnedrod from en agement with said removable plate and ger actuating said slidable rofl to withdraw said removable plete yfrom said heusing.

ln estimonfrjwhereo, sign this' speeii.u cation in the presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE SCHWAB. Witnesses:

B. l?. lVHEnLEn, M.. E. BROESAMLE. 

